Create a Succulent Oasis

Refreshing the Summer Garden

The jewel-like colors and bold forms of these succulent compositions carry containers through late summer and beyond.

You’ve gotta love a plant that takes these dog days of summer in stride. With brilliant colors from chrome to turquoise, alongside the more typical hues of emerald and ruby, succulents are definitely gems in the late summer garden. Their showy forms, at times more reminiscent of a watery undersea garden than a hot dusty landscape, carry many a composition through this sere time of the calendar.

Whether your containers are flagging or you’re looking to infuse your entire garden with some succulent goodness—or maybe you simply want to get together with like-minded folks in a beautiful garden setting—we’re offering some refreshing late-summer horticultural inspiration at two upcoming PHS events.

Gardeners to the south can join us for a day of inspiration and information at Sherman Library & Gardens with horticulturist Matt Maggio. Matt and his team transformed an aging landscape—formerly called the “cactus garden”—into an inviting succulent oasis. Matt shared the story of this remarkable horticultural reinvention in our fall 2010 issue, A Succulent Oasis at Sherman Library & Gardens.

From analysing bold planting compositions, to details about hardscape materials and climate considerations, you’ll learn how the garden was created, how it has developed, and its ongoing maintenance. Our morning talk is followed by a guided garden tour and boxed lunch. Get full details and registration information here.